On 21 January 2026, the European Commission presented its first proposal for a Digital Networks Act (DNA), a comprehensive legislative initiative intended to reshape the regulatory framework governing electronic communications networks and connectivity services across the European Union.

The proposal is framed as a structural response to persistent challenges in the EU electronic communications sector, including regulatory and market fragmentation, the transition to next-generation networks and the increasing strategic importance of digital infrastructure as a core element of EU’s (digital and otherwise) sovereignty. A central premise of the initiative is that the existing framework, largely built around a directive-based approach, has not delivered a fully integrated internal market. Against this background, the DNA proposes a shift towards a directly applicable regulation, combined with deeper EU-level coordination in areas such as spectrum management, authorisation regimes and network resilience.

These ideas are well illustrated in Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen’s presentation speech, in which the DNA was characterized as a tool to boost innovation and investment in resilient and next-generation networks, to strengthen the single market for connectivity.

Political and strategic context

The Digital Networks Act must be read against the backdrop of a broader and increasingly explicit EU strategy linking connectivity, competitiveness and strategic autonomy.

At policy level, the proposal directly builds on 2024’s European Commission White Paper How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?, which identified insufficient scale, fragmented regulation and lack of long-term predictability as structural challenges to the timely deployment of fibre and advanced mobile networks across the EU. In that sense, the DNA aligns with the general objectives and digital targets regarding connectivity, digital infrastructure coverage set out in the European Digital Decade Policy Programme for 2030.

Beyond sector-specific policy, the DNA also reflects a convergence of broader strategic analyses on Europe’s competitiveness and security. This includes the Draghi, Letta and Niinistö reports, which, from different perspectives, emphasized the need to strengthen Europe’s capacity to deploy and operate critical digital infrastructure at scale, reduce structural fragmentation of the internal market, and embed resilience and security considerations more explicitly into economic and industrial policy choices. The same logic is echoed in the Commission Communication A Competitiveness Compass for the EU, which positions connectivity infrastructure as a foundational enabler of economic competitiveness, industrial policy and strategic autonomy.

Taken together, these documents provide the strategic and political backdrop against which the DNA has been developed, framing connectivity regulation not merely as a market-correcting tool, but as an element of a wider economic and security architecture.

Reconfiguration of the existing legal framework

A defining feature of the DNA is its ambition to reorganise and consolidate the existing EU regulatory framework. The proposal is designed to replace or absorb several core instruments, including:

- the European Electronic Communications Code, whose directive-based structure is identified as a key source of regulatory fragmentation;

- the BEREC Regulation, reshaping the governance and operational role of EU-level regulatory coordination;

- the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme, by integrating spectrum policy more directly into the single market framework; and

- parts of the Open Internet Regulation, which are consolidated into a unified regulatory architecture.

The DNA is also explicitly articulated with other components of the EU digital and security framework. In particular, it complements the objectives of the Cybersecurity Act (proposed on 20 January 2026), as well as Directive 2022/2555 (NIS2 Directive) and Directive 2022/2557 (CER Directive), building upon these legislations.

Main objectives of the proposal

The Commission identifies several overarching objectives for the DNA. These include deepening regulatory harmonisation across Member States, improving predictability for long-term infrastructure investment and accelerating the deployment and take-up of very high-capacity fixed and mobile networks.

The proposal places particular emphasis on network resilience and security, reflecting increased exposure to systemic risks such as cyber incidents, natural disasters and foreign interference. At the same time, it seeks to facilitate cross-border operations and to strengthen the internal market for connectivity by reducing regulatory divergence and administrative complexity.

Key measures and mechanisms

The DNA introduces a series of structural measures intended to give effect to these objectives.

In the area of spectrum regulation, the proposal envisages longer (and potentially indefinite) licence durations, renewals by default and greater consistency in national assignment conditions. It also promotes spectrum sharing mechanisms and introduces dynamic tools to improve transparency and efficient use. For certain pan-European use cases, notably satellite connectivity (a core asset of EU’s digital sovereignty), the DNA establishes EU-level authorisation frameworks designed to enable scale and coordinated deployment.

Regarding cross-border operations, the proposal introduces a streamlined, notification-based general authorisation regime, commonly referred to as an EU “Single Passport”. Under this model, providers may operate in one or several Member States on the basis of a single authorisation, supported by enhanced coordination between national authorities and BEREC (renamed as the Office for Digital Networks).

The proposal also addresses technological transition, notably through mandatory but conditional national transition plans to support the phased switch-off of copper networks and the migration to fibre and advanced mobile networks between 2030 and 2035.

Beyond traditional telecom operators, the DNA establishes a cooperation framework between connectivity providers and other digital ecosystem actors, including content, application and cloud service providers. This framework is complemented by mechanisms intended to clarify the application of Open Internet rules to innovative services, while expressly maintaining the core principles of net neutrality.

Finally, the DNA introduces reinforced governance and preparedness mechanisms, expanding the role of BEREC and creating new EU-level coordination tools to support crisis response, security and operational resilience of digital networks.

Conclusion | What’s next

The first proposal of the Digital Networks Act brings into focus a set of structural choices that will shape the future of EU connectivity regulation.

A central question concerns the recalibration of competences between the EU and the Member States, particularly in areas such as spectrum management and authorisation, where national authorities have traditionally exercised significant discretion. The extent to which greater harmonisation can coexist with differentiated national market conditions will be a key issue throughout the legislative process.

The proposal also raises questions about how competition policy and sector-specific regulation will interact with the DNA’s emphasis on scale, predictability and long-term investment. Whether the new framework will alter existing market dynamics, and how safeguards will operate in practice, will largely depend on the design of secondary rules and the approach taken by regulators in implementation.

Finally, the DNA illustrates a broader evolution in EU policy, in which connectivity regulation is increasingly intertwined with industrial, security and resilience objectives. How these dimensions will be prioritised, coordinated and translated into operational decisions remains to be seen.

At this stage, the Digital Networks Act is best understood as a framework proposal that reframes the policy debate rather than resolves it. Its practical significance will emerge over time, through the legislative process and, ultimately, through its application across the European Union. In practical terms, the file now moves through the ordinary legislative procedure: the European Parliament will define its negotiating mandate (rapporteur report and committee vote), the Council will consolidate a general approach, and trilogue negotiations will settle scope, governance and enforcement. For undertakings, the next steps are to engage proactively in the consultation and amendment phases, taking an active part in the legislative process and anticipating any impacts this new regulatory revolution may have on their activity.